This invention relates to fluid delivery devices, and more particularly, to fluid delivery devices including a holder such as sleeve for at least partially enclosing a fluid holding container such as an ampoule or capsule, wherein the fluid holding container is selectively breakable by user-applied pressure to the sleeve.
It is generally known to provide a liquid delivery device including a sleeve that is configured to receive a crushable container such as an ampoule or capsule. The container typically includes a liquid that is to be applied to a desired location through, for example, an optional applicator. Typically, such sleeves are constructed of a single tube or a single tube composed of multiple layers formed together via a standard coextrusion process. In a coextruded construction, layers of the tube of the sleeve are typically coupled to one another by chemical adhesion or by a tie layer or the like. In some cases a rubber urethane tie layer is used as a functional layer between layers. The container is securable within a cavity defined by the sleeve and is typically constructed from glass or a similarly breakable material. The user applies a force to the sleeve sufficient to shatter or otherwise crush the container contained within the sleeve so that the fluid held within the container is released into the sleeve and may then be selectively dispensed via the applicator or similar element. When used in the coextruded type sleeve, the rubber urethane layer is thought to blunt the penetration of the container material into the outer tube of the coextruded holder to prevent the material from contacting the user.
While assemblies of this kind are well known in the art, such assemblies suffer from a number of known disadvantages. For instance, such assemblies can result in an undesirable number of accidental punctures typically through repeated or overly aggressive pressing on the sleeve.
Other known types of fluid delivery devices have sought to remedy the deficiencies of known fluid delivery devices by providing sleeves having thicker walls or considerably thicker coextruded layers. Others have provided independent paperboard sleeves for the user that slides over the plastic sleeve to provide additional puncture protection. These have the disadvantage of requiring a secondary manufacturing step of producing a paper sleeve as well as the added assembly of it to the finished unit. However, these types of fluid delivery devices require an undesirable amount of additional crushing force to be applied by the user to the sleeve to break the enclosed container for dispensing the fluid. Thus, it can be difficult for a user of such devices to break the container for selective dispensing of the fluid contained therein. In addition, these types of fluid delivery devices can still result in an undesirable amount of accidental punctures.
Accordingly, a liquid delivery assembly that alleviates or eliminates one or more of the foregoing disadvantages is desired.